NOTE: When Republican candidate Robert Cappucci ran for Democrat Pat Jehlen’s seat he and his campaign manager told me they were campaigning against President Obama. My response was: Local elections are not about Democrat or Republican, they are about potholes, empty storefronts, schools, public access tv, painting crosswalks. Pat Jehlen got my vote. Right now Hillary Clinton has my vote for President. Let’s see how the progressives battle it out in Iowa and New Hampshire. The stakes are big.

The stakes are big in Medford. You would be hard-pressed to find someone more progressive and/or liberal than me. Where some Republicans in Massachusetts use the term “independent,” I proudly say Democrat.

Being a Democrat means being a RESPONSIBLE Democrat, and voting your conscience means that you vote for the RIGHT PERSON, not just lockstep check off “D” because Local 25 wants you to, or because a poor candidate is being bolstered by the party locally.

There is no doubt that Mr. Robert Penta is the better candidate, the one running the better campaign, the one with the bigger ideas, as evidenced by The Great Debate. IN the mail he has sent out The Penta Plan three times. Mrs. Burke, on the other hand, doesn’t have a plan, talks about resurrecting old plans that have been set aside (and are, most likely, out of date,) and more chilling, it felt – at the debate – like Muccini-Burke was dangling by McGlynn flypaper. You could see her struggle. When Mr. Penta spoke you could see Muccini-Burke twitching with discomfort, her facial movements were as telling as her leg shaking non-stop.

“As Your Mayor I Will Hire an Outside Auditor” is something that Muccini-Burke would LOVE to be saying, but she can’t handcuffed by McGlynn, the Mayor of the past 28 years who has wrecked the infrastructure of our city. McGlynn’s toxic endorsements may not have demolished the campaigns of Erin DiBenedetto for State Rep, Carl Sciortino for Congress and Martha Coakley for Governor, but they certainly didn’t help those candidates. Muccini-Burke’s sputtering campaign can be placed solidly on the shoulders of her affiliation with McGlynn, and is an indicator that were she to become mayor, she would be standing in the shadows of Mike. That is not good for anyone, certainly not for Democrats.

Would you vote for Tom Finneran or Sal DiMasi knowing what you know now? McGlynn’s relationship with former Speaker DiMasi and – even more chilling – McGlynn’s tight allegiance to crooked James V. DiPaola, the late Middlesex Sheriff who put patronage and malfeasance above honesty. McGlynn cannot be separated from DiPaola with temperamental Paul Camuso hired by DiPaola, McGlynn cousin Johnny Granara – alleged campaign manager to both crooked Sheriff DiPaola and McGlynn – there in the background like Darth Vader, and the rotten-to-the-core Bob Covelle and his reprobate wife Patricia DiPaola Covelle, all part of the McGlynn inner circle that we Democrats, and this city, need to get away from. Not to mention that Stephanie Burke’s alleged assistant was wife of the crooked sheriff Adeline DiPaola (all due respect, she is said to be a nice person…but she has that name and that relationship,) one of McGlynn’s secretaries, you see a stagnation that the residents need to RUN away from.

But put aside Stephanie Burke’s sleazy associates, let’s go to the husband she never speaks about. At #MedfordDebate 2015 “The Great Debate” – Middlesex Superior Court Assistant Clerk Brian Burke was abusive and nasty. The vicious hothead was demanding ALL of Bob Penta’s supporters be removed from a front row where they were seated, which included this videographer. Burke made two comments about me, one being “Get That Motherfucker Out of There” or “Out of here” – and one prior about having me bounced out of there or something. It was the use of the word “motherfucker” at an event where there were 1,000 people, by a candidate’s husband that she will show a photograph of, but not say the name of, that should be studied. It’s actually a reason why Mrs. Burke should resign.

The Ascertainment hearing for Comcast on May 7th is something the Mayor wanted to slip through the cracks and have in secret, though the law demands it be very transparent. There is no transparency with McGlynn. Mrs. Burke left her position as Budget Director around May 10. She was still Director of Personnel/Budget when the May 7th hearing happened. Why was she not there for this critical hearing?

Only Robert M. Penta was there supervising Comcast fees, Comcast’s work ethic, all aspects of Comcast’s 10 year contract the Mayor signed AFTER the Mayor said he would resign at the end of 2015. No School Committee person showed up (and I believe my friend Robert E. Skerry had an obligation to do so,) no councilors showed up except for Bob Penta, and Mark Rumley ran from the event, as did Michael J. McGlynn.

Because they call themselves “Democrat” but not doing the job is no reason to vote for them. This liberal has had enough of the phony Democrats as Michael J. McGlynn is every bit as abusive as Dick Cheney could ever hope to be. McGlynn IS Dick Cheney, and just because he wears a D on his sleeve only means that he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Don’t be duped, Democrats, McGlynn is not honest with the residents of Medford and is one big phony. A Dinosaur and a Dino – Democrat in Name Only who is an anachronism. Medford doesn’t need that, and Mrs. Burke did NOTHING to distance herself from the very Rogue-Republican-acting Michael J. McGlynn. There are good Republicans and good Democrats, Michael J. McGlynn is neither. But local elections are about the right person. That the Supreme Judicial Court now is looking at a complaint on Stephanie Muccini-Burke’s husband for possible violation of canons, ethical violations at the Great Debate, speaks volumes. The letter from the Trial Court is dated October 20. Mr. Burke was invisible in Muccini-Burke’s campaign until the great debate. Acting like a Local 25 thug on steroids, those indicted for allegations of violence against woman recently, is very telling. Muccini-Burke never gave that union money back, never denounced such ugly behavior, her supporters saying “just a few bad eggs” is a “just a little pregnant” moment. Reprobate Sean O’Brien, with his own troubled past of documented threats, said that ALL of Local 25 was behind Muccini-Burke. That includes those indicted. Yet Burke and that hideous “councilor” Adam Knight hold tight to their FIve Hundred Dollar bills from the suspicious Local 25.

Do you want more outside interests like Republic Parking taking sixty five percent of our monies, or unions telling you to take Stephanie or else? This liberal doesn’t condone that behavior or like the prospect of old friend Mrs. Burke, someone I once admired, going to the dark side and turning this city into McGlynnville. Stephanie Burke is Mike McGlynn in drag and Medford cannot afford a phony Democrat besmirching the Democratic brand.

“A police officer captured on video, threatening a motorist” is a question from Kerry Kavanaugh Mr. Penta gave the appropriate answer, not about Stephen Lebert specifically, about ANY cop that goes rogue: “There’s the door.” Mrs. Burke couldn’t even compete.

Post Script: When Mrs. Burke left the City Council we the people felt that she would be our Ombudsman (Ombudswoman) at City Hall. Instead, she worked with McGlynn and became a loyal lieutenant. In a perfect world one would hope that Mrs. Burke and Solicitor Mark Rumley would turn State’s Evidence against McGlynn. Hopefully, they’ll have to, someday soon.

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COMMUNITY MEDIA MEDFORD IS A COMPANY listed at Medford City Hall as an official business. The company put the sole proposal for a public access TV station in to City Hall on March 26th, 2015. Joe Viglione has interviewed over 1,000 guests on radio and television, and is published in many books including the genres of soul, blues, jazz, country and rock music.